System and method for associating an order with an object in a multiple lane environment

ABSTRACT

Images with respect to an object at an ordering, payment, and delivery locations can be captured utilizing an image capturing system. Capture can be after detecting the presence of the object at each location utilizing an object presence sensor. The captured image can be processed to associate it with a signature and can also be processed in order to extract a small region of interest (e.g., license plate) and can be reduced to a unique signature. Signature can be stored into a database together with the corresponding order and images. Signatures can be matched. The order associated with the object matched by the system together with at least one of the images captured at the delivery point and the order point can be displayed at a user interface located at the payment/delivery point to ensure that the right order is delivered to the right customer asscoiated with the object.

INVENTION PRIORITY

The present invention claims priority as a Continuation Application toNonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/916,749, entitled“Signature Based Drive-Through Order Tracking System and Method,” filedNov. 1, 2010, incorporated herein by reference for its teaching.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments are generally related to drive-through order managementsystems and methods. Embodiments are also related to sensing devices andtechniques. Embodiments are additionally related to signature-basedorder tracking in a drive-through service environment.

BACKGROUND

A “drive-through” is a type of service provided by a business such as,for example, fast-food restaurant, bank, pharmacy, and coffee shop thatpermits a customer to purchase a product without leaving their vehicle.Such drive-through services provides the customer with fast andconvenient service while increasing the number of customers that may beserved through conventional walk-in transactions. Orders can begenerally placed utilizing a microphone and picked up in person at thewindow. As the order is being placed, an order-taker enters the orderinformation into an order management system. The order information canbe displayed on a display such that the order can be assembled by arunner.

Conventionally, ordering paradigms utilize a single-queue approach thatmakes the customers with small, quick orders wait behind the customerswith large complex orders. The problem associated with such approach isthat the vehicles can get out of order between the time the order isplaced and the vehicle receives the product. Additionally, such priorart approaches do not ensure that the correct product is being deliveredto the vehicle that placed the order which further reduces orderaccuracy and efficiency. Such problems are exacerbated in highlytrafficked locations where multiple lanes of order placement exist foreach order processing window which result in decreased customersatisfaction and significant loss of revenues.

Based on the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for animproved system and method for providing signature based drive-throughorder tracking, as described in greater detail herein.

SUMMARY

The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of someof the innovative features unique to the disclosed embodiments and isnot intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of thevarious aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be gained bytaking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as awhole.

It is, therefore, one aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide foran improved order management system and method.

It is another aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide for animproved method and system that can associate an order with an object ina multiple lane environment.

It is a further aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide for animproved method for extracting a signature of a vehicle by analyzing aregion of interest.

The aforementioned aspects and other objectives and advantages can nowbe achieved as described herein. Images with respect to an object at anordering, payment, and delivery locations can be captured utilizing animage capturing system. Capture can be after detecting the presence ofthe object at each location utilizing an object presence sensor. Thecaptured image can be processed to associate it with a signature and canalso be processed in order to extract a small region of interest (e.g.,license plate) and can be reduced to a unique signature. Signature canbe stored into a database together with the corresponding order andimages. Signatures can be matched. The order associated with the objectmatched by the system together with at least one of the images capturedat the delivery point and the order point can be displayed at a userinterface located at the payment/delivery point to ensure that the rightorder is delivered to the right customer associated with the object.

A method in accordance with the present invention can include capturingan image of an object on one of a plurality of lanes associated with anorder location and defining a signature associated with the image,wherein after the order location, the plurality of lanes are situated toallow the objects into a single lane before at least one of a paymentlocation and a delivery location, receiving an order placed from theorder location, capturing a subsequent image of the object in the singlelane and defining a subsequent signature associated with the subsequentimage, and matching the object to the order using the signatures andthereafter displaying the order associated with the object at a userinterface.

A system in accordance with features of the present invention caninclude a traffic pattern including a plurality of lanes wherein each ofthe plurality of lanes have an order location associated with them andthe plurality of lanes can be accurately situated for a distance in thetraffic pattern. The traffic pattern can be positioned to allow users ofthe plurality of lanes into a single lane associated with a buildingbefore at least one of a payment location and a delivery location. Animage capturing system can be adapted to capture an image of an objecton one of the plurality of lanes, define a signature associated with theimage, capture a subsequent image of the object in the single lane, anddefine a subsequent signature associated with the subsequent image. Anorder processing system can be adapted to receive an order placed froman order location and thereafter display the order associated with theobject at a user interface at at least one of the payment location andthe delivery location after the object is located on the single lane andthe signatures are matched.

An image with respect to a vehicle at a POS (Point Of Sale) unit can becaptured at an order point and a delivery point (e.g., payment point andpick-up point) utilizing an image capturing unit by detecting thepresence of the vehicle at each point utilizing a vehicle presencesensor. The captured image can be processed in order to extract a smallregion of interest (e.g., license plate) and can be reduced to a uniquesignature. The extracted signature of the vehicle at the order point canbe stored into a database together with the corresponding order and thevehicle image. The signature extracted at the delivery point can bematched with the signature stored into the database. If a match isfound, the order associated with the vehicle together with the imagescaptured at the delivery point and the order point can be displayed in auser interface at the delivery point to ensure that the right order isdelivered to a customer.

In an extraction mode, the region of interest can be located and thesignature of the vehicle at the order point can be extracted and storedin the database. The ROI (region of interest) with respect to thevehicle image can be extracted utilizing an automated license platerecognition technique (e.g., a mathematical morphological basedrecognition technique) in order to determine the signature. Thesignature can be, for example, a license plate number obtained via anoptical character recognition technique, a bitmap of the ROI, and/orother images features (e.g., Scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT)features). The signature can then be stored in the database togetherwith the associated order and the vehicle image.

In a matching mode, the signature of the vehicle at the payment pointand the pick-up point can be extracted and matched with the signaturesstored in the database. If the signature is the license plate number,the matching can be performed by a simple character comparison. If thesignature is the bitmap, a 2-D correlation type matching can beexploited. A matching of SIFT features can be accomplished by thematching features based on Euclidean distance of the feature vectors.The order associated with the current vehicle can be displayed in theuser interface, together with the images captured at the delivery pointand the order point. The signature can be automatically deleted alongwith the image and the order from the database after dispatching theorder to the customer. Such an approach can be effectively utilized in awide range of drive through service environments in order to ensurerespective orders have been assembled and are ready to be presented ordelivered to the customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification,further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detaileddescription of the invention, serve to explain the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a computer system, in accordancewith the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a software system including avehicle and order tracking module, an operating system, and a userinterface, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a signature based order trackingsystem, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the signature based ordertracking system in a drive through service environment, in accordancewith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical representation of an order trackingwindow, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a high level flow chart of operations illustratinglogical operational steps of method for tracking the order based on asignature with respect to a vehicle, in accordance with the disclosedembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limitingexamples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least oneembodiment and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. The embodiments disclosed hereincan be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, theterm “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventioncan be embodied as a method, data processing system, or computer programproduct, Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of anentire hardware embodiment, an entire software embodiment, or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generallyreferred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.” Furthermore, the presentinvention may take the form of a computer program product on acomputer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program codeembodied in the medium. Any suitable computer readable medium may beutilized including hard disks, USB Flash Drives, DVDs, CD-ROMs, opticalstorage devices, magnetic storage devices, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in an object oriented programming language(e.g., Java, C++, etc). The computer program code, however, for carryingout operations of the present invention may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages such as the “C”programming language or in a visually oriented programming environmentsuch as, for example, Visual Basic.

The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly onthe user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on theuser's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on theremote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to a user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), wireless data network e.g., WiFi, Wimax,802.xx, and cellular network or the connection may be made to anexternal computer via most third party supported networks (for example,through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

The embodiments are described at least in part herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems, andcomputer program products and data structures, according to embodimentsof the invention. It will be understood that each block of theillustrations, and combinations of blocks, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memoryproduce an article of manufacture including instruction means whichimplement the function/act specified in the block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe block or blocks.

FIGS. 1-2 are provided as exemplary diagrams of data-processingenvironments in which embodiments of the present invention may beimplemented. It should be appreciated that FIGS. 1-2 are only exemplaryand are not intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard tothe environments in which aspects or embodiments of the disclosedembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosed embodiments.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the disclosed embodiments may be implementedin the context of a data-processing system 100 that includes, forexample, a central processor 101, a main memory 102, an input/outputcontroller 103, a keyboard 104, an input device 105 (e.g., a pointingdevice such as a mouse, track ball, and pen device, etc.), a displaydevice 106, a mass storage 107 (e.g., a hard disk), and a USB (UniversalSerial Bus) peripheral connection 111. Additional input/output devices,such as an image capturing unit 108 (e.g., camera, etc.), for example,may be associated with the data-processing system 100 as desired. Asillustrated, the various components of data-processing system 100 cancommunicate electronically through a system bus 110 or similararchitecture. The system bus 110 may be, for example, a subsystem thattransfers data between, for example, computer components withindata-processing system 100 or to and from other data-processing devices,components, computers, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates a computer software system 150 for directing theoperation of the data-processing system 100 depicted in FIG. 1. Softwareapplication 152, stored in main memory 102 and on mass storage 107,generally includes a kernel or operating system 151 and a shell orinterface 153. One or more application programs such as softwareapplication 152, may be “loaded” (i.e., transferred from mass storage107 into the main memory 102) for execution by the data-processingsystem 100. The data-processing system 100 receives user commands anddata through user interface 153; these inputs may then be acted upon bythe data-processing system 100 in accordance with instructions fromoperating system module 151 and/or software application 154.

The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, generaldescription of suitable computing environments in which the system andmethod may be implemented. Although not required, the disclosedembodiments will be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions such as program modules being executedby a single computer. In most instances, a “module” constitutes asoftware application.

Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines,subroutines, software applications, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types and instructions. Moreover, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the disclosed method and system may be practicedwith other computer system configurations such as, for example,hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, data networks,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, networkedPCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, servers, and the like.

Note that the term module as utilized herein may refer to a collectionof routines and data structures that perform a particular task orimplements a particular abstract data type. Modules may be composed oftwo parts: an interface, which lists the constants, data types,variable, and routines that can be accessed by other modules orroutines, and an implementation, which is typically private (accessibleonly to that module) and which includes source code that actuallyimplements the routines in the module. The term module may also simplyrefer to an application such as a computer program designed to assist inthe performance of a specific task such as word processing, accounting,inventory management, etc.

The interface 153, which is preferably a graphical user interface (GUI),can serve to display results, whereupon a user may supply additionalinput or terminate a particular session. In some embodiments, operatingsystem 151 and interface 153 can be implemented in the context of a“Windows” system. It can be appreciated, of course, that other types ofsystems are possible. For example, rather than a traditional “Windows”system, other operation systems such as, for example, a Real TimeOperating System (RTOS) more commonly employed in wireless systems mayalso be employed with respect to operating system 151 and interface 153.The software application 152 can include, for example, an order trackingmodule 154 for managing an order based on a signature with respect to avehicle. The vehicle and order tracking module 154 can includeinstructions such as those of method 500 discussed herein with respectto FIG. 6.

FIGS. 1-2 are thus intended as an example and not as an architecturallimitation with respect to particular embodiments. Such embodiments,however, are not limited to any particular application or any particularcomputing or data-processing environment. Instead, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the disclosed system and method may beadvantageously applied to a variety of system and application software.Moreover, the present invention may be embodied on a variety ofdifferent computing platforms including Macintosh, UNIX, LINUX, and thelike.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a point of sale (POS) system fortracking an order 240 with respect to a vehicle 205, in accordance withthe disclosed embodiments. Note that in FIGS. 1-6, identical or similarblocks are generally indicated by identical reference numerals. The POSsystem 200 can be effectively employed in a wide range of drive-throughservice environments in order to ensure delivery value and superiorservice with respect to a mobile and time-starved customer. The system200 generally includes an order processing unit 210, one or moredelivery points such as a payment processing unit 260 and a pick-upprocessing unit 275, and a centralized tracking server 290 having theorder tracking module 154 that are operatively configured in associationwith the network 245.

Note that the network 245 can be an Internet connection representing aworldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TransmissionControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols tocommunicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backboneof high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or hostcomputers consisting of thousands of commercial, government,educational, and other computer systems that route data and messages. Ofcourse, network 245 also may be implemented as a number of differenttypes of networks.

The order processing unit 210 of the POS system 200 captures an image254 with respect to the vehicle 205 utilizing an order-point imagecapturing unit 212 by detecting the presence of the vehicle 205utilizing an order-point vehicle presence sensor 230. The orderprocessing unit 210 further includes an order-point user interface 235in order to provide the order 240 with respect to the customer.Similarly, the payment processing unit 260 and the pick-up processingunit 275 of the POS system 200 includes separate image processing unitssuch as a payment-point image capturing unit 262 and a pick-up pointimage capturing unit 276 for capturing the images 254 with respect tothe vehicle 205 by detecting the presence of the vehicle 205 via thevehicle presence sensors 270 and 280, respectively.

Note that the image capturing units 212, 262 described in greater detailherein are analogous or similar to the image capturing unit 108 of thedata-processing system 100, depicted in FIG. 1. The image capturing unitmay include built-in integrated functions such as image processing, dataformatting, and data compression functions. Also, the unit includesimager-positioning, range-finding, and a flash bulb.

The order tracking module 154 of the centralized server 290 processesthe captured images 254 in the POS system 200 in order to extract asmall region of interest (ROI) 220 such as, for example, a licenseplate. A Region of Interest, often abbreviated ROI, is a selected subsetof samples within a dataset identified for a particular purpose. Theregion of interest 220 with respect to the vehicle 205 can be furtherreduced to a unique signature 252 at the order processing unit 210 andstored in a database 250 together with the corresponding order 240 andthe vehicle image 254. A matching application 265 configured at thepayment processing unit 260 and the pick-up processing unit 275 furthermatches the signatures 252 extracted at the payment processing unit 260and the pick-up processing unit 275 with the signature 252 stored in thedatabase 250.

The matching application 265 further displays the order 240 associatedwith the vehicle 205 together with the images 254 captured at thedelivery points 260 and 275 and the order processing unit 210 into theuser interfaces 272 and 285 to ensure the right order 240 is deliveredto the customer. The payment-point user interface 272 provides a paymentacknowledgment with respect to the order 240 placed at the orderprocessing unit 210 of the POS system 200. Similarly, the pick-up pointuser interface 285 displays the delivered orders 240 with respect to thevehicle 205.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective of the point of sale (POS) system 200within a drive-through service environment 330. The system 200 can beconfigured with a store 310 having a holding stall 320 in order toprocess and mange the orders 240 within the store 310. The holdingstalls 320 can hold the pending orders 240 within the POS system 200.The system 200 can be enabled in an extraction mode in order to extractand store the signatures 252 and can also be made available in amatching mode in order to match the signatures 252 of the vehicle 205.In the extraction mode, the region of interest 220 can be located withrespect to the image 254 of the vehicle 205 and the signature 252 of thevehicle 205 can be extracted and stored in the database 250. Note thatthe region of interest (ROI) 220 is a portion of the image 240 that auser can filter or perform some other operation. It is sometimes ofinterest to process a single sub-region of the image 240 by leavingother regions unchanged. The region of interest 220 with respect to thevehicle image 254 can be extracted utilizing an automated license platerecognition technique such as, for example, a mathematical morphologicalbased recognition technique in order to determine the signature 252, Thesignature 252 can be, for example, a license plate number obtained viaan optical character recognition technique, a bitmap of the region ofinterest 220, or other image features, for example, Scale-invariantfeature transform.

In the matching mode, the signatures 252 of the vehicle 205 at thepayment processing unit 260 and the pick-up processing unit 275 can beextracted and matched with the signatures 252 stored in the database250. If the signature 252 is the license plate number, the matching canbe performed by a simple character comparison, If the signature is thebitmap, a 2-D correlation type matching can be exploited. A matching ofSIFT features can be accomplished by the matching features based onEuclidean distance of the feature vectors. The signatures 252 withrespect to the vehicle 205 can also be extracted by utilizing a widerange of other recognition approaches such as support vector machinemethods, pattern classification, Bayesian decision methods, neuralnetwork classifies, fuzzy logic decision making, and genetic algorithmbased optimizers, etc. Such signatures 252 can be further employed toeffectively assemble the orders 240 with respect to the customer in thedrive through environment 330. The signature 252 can be stored in thedatabase 250 together with the associated order 240 and the vehicleimage 254. The signatures 252 can be automatically deleted along withthe image 254 and order 240 from the database 250 after dispatching theorder 240 to the customer.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical representation of an order trackingwindow 400 with respect to the delivery points 260 and 275 of the POSsystem 200, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. The graphicalwindow 400 is generally implemented in the context of a GUI “window”.Note that in computing, a GUI “window” is generally a visual areacontaining some type of user interface. Such a “window” usually (but notalways) possesses a rectangular shape and displays the output of and mayallow input to one or more processes. Such windows are primarilyassociated with graphical displays, which can be manipulated with amouse cursor such as, for example, the input device 105 depicted inFIG. 1. A GUI using “windows” as one of its main “metaphors” is oftenreferred to as a windowing system.

The user interfaces 272 and 285 with respect to the delivery points 260and 275 displays the images 410 and 420 captured at the order processingpoints 210 and the delivery point 260 and 275 in order to match theorder number, vehicle identification, and other details with respect tothe order 240 placed in the drive-through environment 330. Note that thedrive-through environment 330 disclosed herein typically includes a widerange of business applications such as, for example, fast-foodrestaurants, banks, pharmacies, and coffee shops. The POS system 200with respect to the drive-through services 330 provide fast andconvenient service while increasing the number of customers that may beserved through conventional walk-in transactions.

FIG. 6 illustrates a high level flow chart of operations illustratinglogical operational steps of method 500 for tracking orders based on thesignature 252 with respect to the vehicle 205, in accordance with thedisclosed embodiments. Note that the method 500 can be implemented inthe context of a computer-useable medium that contains a program productincluding, for example, a module or group of modules. Again as areminder, note that in FIGS. 1-6, identical or similar blocks aregenerally indicated by identical reference numerals. The presence of thevehicle 205 within the drive through environment 330 can be detected viathe vehicle presence sensors 230, 270, and 280 associated with the POSsystem 200, as illustrated at block 510. The image 254 with respect tothe vehicle 205 can be captured at each point 210, 260, and 275utilizing the image capturing units 212, 262, and 276 respectively, asdepicted at block 520.

The image 254 captured at the order processing unit 210 can be processedin order to extract the small region of interest 220 via the centralizedserver 290 and reduced to unique signatures 252, as illustrated at block530. The extracted signatures 252 of the vehicle 205 at the orderprocessing unit 210 can be stored in the database 250 together with thecorresponding order 240 and the vehicle image 254, as depicted at block540. The signature 252 extracted at the delivery points 260 and 275 canbe matched with the signature 252 stored in the database 250, asillustrated at block 550.

If a match is found, the order 240 associated with vehicle 205 togetherwith images 254 captured at the delivery points 260 and 275 and theorder processing unit 210 can be further displayed at the user interface272 and 285 of the delivery points 260 and 275, as depicted at block560. Finally, the appropriate order 240 with respect to the customer canbe delivered based on the matched signatures 252 in the drive throughservice environment 330, as illustrated at block 570. Such a system andmethod can be effectively utilized in a wide range of drive throughservice environments in order to ensure respective orders have beenassembled and are ready to be presented or delivered to the customer.

It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and otherfeatures and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirablycombined into many other different systems or applications. Also, thatvarious presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives,modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequentlymade by those skilled in the art which are also intended to beencompassed by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to associate an order with an object ina multiple lane environment comprising: capturing an image of an objecton one of a plurality of lanes associated with an order location anddefining a signature associated with the image, wherein after the orderlocation, the plurality of lanes are situated to allow the objects intoa single lane before at least one of a payment location and a deliverylocation; receiving an order placed from the order location; capturing asubsequent image of the object in the single lane and defining asubsequent signature associated with the subsequent image; and matchingthe object to the order using the signatures and thereafter displayingthe order associated with the object at a user interface.
 2. The methodto associate an order with an object in a multiple lane environment ofclaim 1, wherein the order and at least one of the images are displayedat the user interface.
 3. The method to associate an order with anobject in a multiple lane environment of claim 1, wherein the paymentlocation and the delivery location are the same location.
 4. The methodto associate an order with an object in a multiple lane environment ofclaim 1, wherein the images are captured with respect to an objectutilizing an image capturing unit by detecting a presence of the objectat at least one of the order location, the payment location, and thedelivery location after receiving a signal from an object presencesensor.
 5. The method to associate an order with an object in a multiplelane environment of claim 1, wherein images are processed to extract asmall region of interest from them in order to thereafter reduce thesmall region of interest into a unique signature for each of the imageswherein the signature associated with the images are stored into adatabase together for matching.
 6. The method to associate an order withan object in a multiple lane environment of claim 5, further comprisingextracting the region of interest with respect to the images utilizingan automated license plate recognition technique in order to determinesaid signature.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said region ofinterest comprises at least one of the following types of images: alicense plate number; a bit map of said region of interest; and ascale-invariant feature transform.
 8. The method to associate an orderwith an object in a multiple lane environment of claim 7, furthercomprising performing a simple character comparison if said signaturecomprises a license plate number.
 9. The method to associate an orderwith an object in a multiple lane environment of claim 7, furthercomprising performing a 2-D correlation type matching if the signaturecomprises a bitmap.
 10. The method to associate an order with an objectin a multiple lane environment of claim 7, further comprisingautomatically deleting the signatures along with the images and theorder from a database after dispatching the order to the object.
 11. Asystem to match an order placed at an order location with an objectcomprising: a traffic pattern including a plurality of lanes whereineach of the plurality of lanes have an order location associatedtherewith and wherein the plurality of lanes are accurately situated fora distance in the traffic pattern, the traffic pattern positioned toallow users of the plurality of lanes into a single lane associated witha building before at least one of a payment location and a deliverylocation; an image capturing system adapted to capture an image of anobject on one of the plurality of lanes, define a signature associatedwith the image, capture a subsequent image of the object in the singlelane, and define a subsequent signature associated with the subsequentimage; and an order processing system adapted to receive an order placedfrom an order location and thereafter display the order associated withthe object at a user interface at at least one of the payment locationand the delivery location after the object is located on the single laneand the signatures are matched.
 12. The system to match an order placedat an order location with an object of claim 11, wherein the order andat least one of the images are displayed at the user interface.
 13. Thesystem to match an order placed at an order location with an object ofclaim 11, wherein the payment location and the delivery location are thesame location.
 14. The system to match an order placed at an orderlocation with an object of claim 11, further comprising an objectpresence sensor associated with the image capturing system wherein theimages are captured with respect to an object when the object presencesensor detects a presence of the object at at least one of the orderlocation, the payment location, and the delivery location afterreceiving a signal from an object presence sensor.
 15. A system to matchan order placed at an order location with an object comprising: aplurality of order locations each adapted to receive an order; an imagecapturing system adapted to capture a first image of an objectassociated with the order when the object is detected, define a firstsignature associated with the first image, capture a subsequent image ofthe object when the object is subsequently detected, and define asubsequent signature associated with the subsequent image; and an orderprocessing system adapted to receive the order placed from an orderlocation and thereafter display the order at a user interface at atleast one of a payment location and a delivery location after the objectleaves the order location and the signatures are matched.
 16. The systemto match an order placed at an order location with an object of claim15, wherein the order and at least one of the images are displayed atthe user interface.
 17. The system to match an order placed at an orderlocation with an object of claim 15, wherein the payment location andthe delivery location are the same location.
 18. The system to match anorder placed at an order location with an object of claim 15, furthercomprising an object presence sensor associated with the image capturingsystem wherein the images are captured with respect to an object whenthe object presence sensor detects a presence of the object at at leastone of the order location, the payment location, and the deliverylocation after receiving a signal from an object presence sensor.
 19. Amethod to associate an order with an object in traffic comprising:capturing a first image of an object associated with an order locationand defining a first signature associated with the first image;receiving an order placed from the order location; capturing a secondimage of the object at a second location and defining a second signatureassociated with the second image; matching the object to the order basedon the first signature and the second signature; and displaying theorder on a user interface associated with the second location.
 20. Themethod to associate an order with an object in traffic of claim 19,wherein the second location is at least one of a payment location anddelivery location.
 21. The method to associate an order with an objectin traffic of claim 19, wherein the order and at least one of the imagesare displayed at the user interface.
 22. The method to associate anorder with an object in a multiple lane environment of claim 19, whereinthe images are captured with respect to an object utilizing an imagecapturing unit by detecting a presence of the object at at least one ofthe order location, the payment location, and the delivery locationafter receiving a signal from an object presence sensor.
 23. The methodto associate an order with an object in a multiple lane environment ofclaim 19, wherein images are processed to extract a small region ofinterest from them in order to thereafter reduce the small region ofinterest into a unique signature for each of the images wherein thesignature associated with the images are stored into a database togetherfor matching.
 24. The method to associate an order with an object in amultiple lane environment of claim 23, further comprising extracting theregion of interest with respect to the images utilizing an automatedlicense plate recognition technique in order to determine saidsignature.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein said region of interestcomprises at least one of the following types of images: a license platenumber; a bit map of said region of interest; and a scale-invariantfeature transform.
 26. The method to associate an order with an objectin a multiple lane environment of claim 25, further comprisingperforming a simple character comparison if said signature comprises alicense plate number.
 27. The method to associate an order with anobject in a multiple lane environment of claim 25, further comprisingperforming a 2-D correlation type matching if the signature comprises abitmap.
 28. The method to associate an order with an object in amultiple lane environment of claim 25, further comprising automaticallydeleting the signatures along with the images and the order from adatabase after dispatching the order to the object.